Thanks everyone. Lets see how Mishti reacts??
PART 14:
RECAP: "Hey guys! It's me! I am back from Miami!" Mishti walked in with a big smile. Her smile faded when she saw Kripa in a skirt and sleeveless top mixing the batter and Angad standing close to her in his shorts and shirt, cracking the eggs!
"OH….did I walk in at a wrong time?" Mishti stumbled at the kitchen door.
"Oh…not at all Mishti…..would you like pancakes?" Kripa asked; her face was flushed, as she felt a little awkward standing so close to Angad, looking so different from what Mishti was used to seeing her in.
"No thanks…actually I am tired…had a grueling schedule in Miami…..I will hit the bed…..hey Angad, can I show you some of the pictures from the ad-shoot?" Mishti walked out of the kitchen, expecting Angad to follow her.
Angad looked at Kripa apologetically and went behind Mishti.
"Come in Angad! Why are you being so formal? Remember we were in this bedroom when you had your appendix attack? I think we were in the middle of a kiss then," Mishti looked at him with a million questions in her eyes.
"Yes, I remember….but that was 4-5 days ago," Angad said softly
"Yeah…I can see a lot has changed in these 5 days……it was not just pancakes cooking in the kitchen…..looks like a lot more has been cooking in the last few days?" Mishti raised an eyebrow.
Angad just looked down, "I don't know what you mean….it's just pancakes….you are reading too much into it."
"Angad! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY SISTER?" Mishti asked angrily.
"What do you mean? I have done nothing Mishti," Angad said innocently
"Zyaada bhole mat bano…..main apni behen ko bahut achchi tarah samajhti hoon…..what have you done to her?" she confronted him.
Angad fumbled for words; he was feeling a little awkward himself-after all 5 days ago, he was almost in bed with Mishti and did not know anything about her sister, but now things were different!
Mishti burst out in a laughter, "Ha….Ha…Ha……Angad, I loved that scared expression on your face….why are you guilty? Hey…..I have never seen my sister so happy and relaxed…..she has actually gained some weight and color on her face…..she looks so pretty in that skirt and top……kya jadoo kiya hai tumney? Itney saal jo koi aur nahin kar saka, tumney 5 din mein kar diya?"
Angad was relieved, "phew! You really scared me Mishti,"
"Angad, I am happy you both like each other….Kripa deserves someone who can love her for who she is…..I hope I am right," Mishti smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Mishti….we have become good friends…..that's about it….don't imagine anything else," Angad said
"Well….she deserves a good friend like you……but remember, she is a very sensitive girl, so never ever hurt her feelings. If you ever break her heart, she may never recover from it….she has gone through a lot in life…..she is very fragile Angad….I hope you understand." Mishti said solemnly
"I understand Mishti….I promise, I will never hurt her….she is a dear friend and I will cherish her friendship forever…..don't worry, there is nothing more between us…..and yes we have NOT slept together…..it is pure friendship…nothing more, nothing less," Angad squeezed Mishti's hands to reassure her.
"It is still hard to believe that Kripa made friends with a person like you," she chuckled.
"Kyon? Kya kharaabi hai mujh mein?" Angad sounded offended.
"No….it's just that you both are so different…in fact, before I left, I thought that surgeon, Prithvi Bose was interested in her…..he might be more her types….intellectual and all….but you?….not even in my wildest imaginations," she could not suppress her laughter.
"Hey….I may not be that intelligent, but I understand women….your sister just needed someone who could show her the real her…..she has such a poor self esteem, I just made her realize what a wonderful and beautiful person she is….you are lucky that you have such a wonderful sister, Mishti," he said.
"Thanks Angad….now I know why you are the best photographer in our company…..I owe this to you…by the way, I have to tell you a secret….Kartik and I spent the last 4 days in Miami…..it was so nice of him to come there…..and you know, we might actually like each other…he is such a gentleman!" Mishti smiled again.
"Really? I don't believe it! Kartik has actually fallen for someone….and that to you?" Angad grinned
"Hey…Hey….Hey….kya kharaabi hai mujh mein? Well…nothing is serious at this point, but I have a feeling he might be the guy for me…..chalo….don't keep my little sister waiting….enjoy your midnight snack…Goodnight!" Mishti walked him out of her room.
"Goodnight Mishti! Thanks….thanks for understanding," Angad smiled and walked back to the kitchen.
"By the way, Kartik will be here tomorrow morning…he will take you to the doctor and then drive you back home." Mishti yelled from behind.
Angad looked back and grinned, "I guess all good things come to an end after all!"
Mishti went back to her room and changed up. She thought, "I hope Angad does not play any games with her……may be I will talk to Angad about setting her up with that Prithvi guy…..they would make a nice couple. I should talk to mom-dad tomorrow." She switched off her lights and went to sleep.
Kripa had turned the stove off, as she was not sure whether Angad would come back to the kitchen or not.
"Hey….no pancakes?" Angad asked
"Well, I was not sure whether you would still be in a mood," Kripa said softly
"I am always in a mood to eat…..c'mon let's get them cooking," he sat down on the bar stool next to the counter.
Kripa spread the batter on the pan and stood quietly.
"Kya hua? Are you OK?" Angad looked at her and asked
"I am fine," she lied
"Don't lie to me…..I know there is something bothering you…..you know you can tell me everything," he got up and stood next to her.
She looked up into his eyes and said, "I hope Mishti is not upset."
"Yes, she is! She is upset that her sister looks so happy!" he burst out in laughter.
"Angad….kya keh rahe ho tum? She did not look happy when she came inside."
"Kripa! You are so gullible! Yes, I was her weekend date last week….but the weekend has come and gone…..so don't worry…..in fact you will be surprised, she has a new boyfriend already…..so don't worry about her."
"New boyfriend? Yeh Mishti bhi na….she changes boyfriends faster than clothes." Kripa looked disgusted.
Angad turned his face away; too embarrassed to admit that he was the same. He had no plans of quitting that habit soon. Once he was better, he would resume dating and sleeping around once again. He needed that for his sanity-at least he thought he did-it would be hard for him to change a habit he had picked in high school. He considered dating and sex, as essential as eating, sleeping and showering. Getting back to 'routine' would probably be the best way to not get too emotionally involved with Kripa, he thought.
"Why am I thinking like that?" he thought, "after all she is just a friend….I am not betraying her or any thing…..there is nothing between us…..with time she will accept me the way I am, just like I have accepted her…..…..I have not made any promises to her …..I know she has fallen for me, but with time, she will realize that we are just good friends ……nothing more, nothing less."
NEXT MORNING:
They were woken up by a surprise guest.
"Hey Kartik! I am so glad you made it in time," Mishti hugged Kartik at the door, "come in…… this is Kripa, my little sister….Kripa this is Kartik, Angad's older brother."
Kripa smiled and shook his hand, "we spoke on the phone."
"Yes, I remember…..by the way thanks for taking care of my bratty bro, I know he can be a pain sometimes," Kartik greeted her.
Kripa went back to the kitchen, and by habit washed her hands after shaking Kartik's hand. As she was wiping them, she blushed to herself, as she remembered how she never wanted to 'rinse' Angad's touch, but still wanted to wash off other people's germs!
"Hey bro! Aakhir apne bimaar bhai ki yaad aa hi gayi?" Angad came out of his room in his pajamas and vest. The brothers hugged and slapped each other's backs.
"Tu bimaar tho nahin lagta…..in fact you look like you have gained some weight!" Kartik remarked.
" Thanks to my hostess…..she made sure I was well taken care of," he winked at Kripa, "aur bro…..workout bhi tho bandh hai kitne dino se."
The brothers laughed at Angad's last comment.
"I am sure it will not take you much time to get into 'shape' Angad!" Kartik remarked, well aware that Angad would be back amongst the women when they got back.
Kripa and Mishti prepared breakfast for everyone. They all sat out on the back porch and enjoyed the hearty breakfast. Mishti was pleased to see Kripa taking second helpings of food. She thanked Angad silently for helping her sister out.
"Ok man! Get ready…we need to get back to the city by afternoon…..let's see if your doctor can clear you today," Kartik suggested.
Kripa's face fell when she heard that Angad would go back. Angad noticed the disappointed look on his friend's face.
"Mishti…when are you guys going back?" he asked
"Well….Kripa and I will leave today…..dad was getting worried about Kripa," Mishti remarked.
"And mom?" Kripa asked expectantly
"Well, mom thinks you are out for some college graduation thing…she does not know you have been here by yourself all week….you know she does not like you being alone," Mishti said.
"I know…she gets worried." Kripa said softly. She wondered if her mom would ever allow her to move out of the house. It was strange, Naina did not really 'care' about Kripa's needs, but she was afraid to leave her alone…..may be it was her own insecurity….she thought Kripa might harm herself if left alone.
Angad noticed the sad look on Kripa's face, he thought, "I have to convince her to move out of her mom's shadow….warna mere itne din ki mehnat par paani phir jaayega."
Angad was packed and ready to leave in an hour. He knocked on Kripa's door as he left, "can I come in?"
Kripa was packing her laptop in her bag, "oh yeah…come in….looks like you are ready to hit the road."
Angad came close to her; he could not resist and gave her a hug and kissed her forehead, "thank you for everything Kripa……I may have lost an appendix, but have found a friend for life….who said the appendix was a useless organ?" he smiled tearfully.
Kripa felt goose bumps on her skin when his lips touched her forehead; she turned a little red and said, "thank god there is only one appendix in the body…..if there were more…..you would end up finding more friends," she smiled back wiping her tears.
"Looks like my friend is a little possessive about her friendship?" Angad pinched her cheek playfully.
"Hey….I don't have chubby cheeks any more!" she protested.
"If we had kept up with our midnight snacks, I am sure we both would end up with chubby cheeks sooner or later," he chuckled.
"Then I would have something to pinch at too!" she touched his cheek and smiled.
Angad held her hand on his face, "Call me….and remember the vacant apartments in my building…they don't last too long in the city….so you need to act fast," he squeezed her hand and turned to leave.
"Angad!" she called from behind, "you forgot something."
He turned around, "forgot?" he wondered what she meant.
"To give me your phone number," she said.
He was a little relieved and took out his card, "here…that's my address and phone #….I have to take you to the bakery…remember?"
"And your favorite Sushi place," she smiled and reminded him.
"How can I forget?" he winked and left her room.
….to be contd….
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain
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